L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
L.E. Modesitt, Jr. is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. To date, he has written over sixty novels and short stories, and is best known for his fantasy series The Saga of Recluce, The Corean Chronicles and The Imager Portfolio.Macmillan: L.E. Modesitt, Jr. Autobiography L. E. Modesitt, Jr., was born in 1943 in Denver, Colorado. Although he spent most of his childhood and young adult years in the Denver area, avidly reading fantasy and science fiction, he never attended any science fiction conventions—in Denver or elsewhere, but he does remember reading Vance Aandahl's stories in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with considerable envy, since he and Vance were near contemporaries. Mr. Modesitt graduated from Williams College under the delusion that poetry was considered respectable and that fantasy and science fiction were not, a mistake he now attributes to youthful enthusiasm. He has been a delivery boy; a lifeguard; an unpaid radio disc jockey; a U.S. Navy pilot; a market research analyst; a real estate agent; director of research for a political campaign; legislative assistant and staff director for a U.S. Congressman; Director ofLegislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues; and a college lecturer and writer in residence. In addition to his novels, Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles (generally with boring titles), columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. Shortly after his tours as a Navy amphious officer and than as a pilot, he returned to Denver as a market research analyst and economist, which generated the idea for his first story—"The Great American Economy"—published in Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact in 1973. He remained oblivious to the existence of fandom and conventions, and pursued a career in another type of fantasy by becoming legislative assistant for Congressman Bill Armstrong in Washington, D.C. During his years in Washington, he attempted to regain some hold on reality by writing increasingly more science fiction. Not totally by coincidence, his first novel was published while he was serving as head of Legislation and Congressional Relations at the U.S. EPA during the Reagan-Burford scandals. There he was responsible for responding to Congressional investigations and hearings and accepting midnight telephone calls from various individuals terming themselves journalists. This experience led to the writing of The Green Progression, a book termed more fantastic than any of his fantasy novels. Such public and critical reaction confirmed his fundamental belief in the reality of science fiction and fantasy. After departing EPA and while working as a regulatory consultant, his editor enlightened him as to the importance and role of fans and conventions and shanghaied him to his first convention at the age of 42. Shortly thereafter, his writing increased, and his consulting decreased, and he has been attending and participating in conventions ever since. Along the way, Mr. Modesitt has weathered eight children, a fondness for three-piece suits (which has deteriorated into a love of vests), a brown labrador, a white cockapoo, an energetic Shihtzu, a Siamese rabbit, and various assorted pet rodents. Finally, in 1989, to escape nearly twenty years of occupational captivity in Washington, D.C., he moved to New Hampshire. There he married a lyric soprano, and he and his wife Carol moved to Cedar City, Utah, in 1993, where she directs the opera program at Southern Utah University and he continues to create and manage chaos. Although he is possibly best known for his "Recluce" fantasy saga, with over a million books in print, he continues to write science fiction as well, and has been known to twist the arms of booksellers (most tactfully and gently) to encourage them to backlist his titles other than fantasy.An Autobiography of L.E. Modesitt, Jr. Bibliography Publication Order * Short stories which were later included or first appeared in the Viewpoints Critical anthology published by Tor Books in 2008. ** Later re-released with additional content and revisions as The Timegod. *** Reprinted under Tor Books in 1996, 2006 and 2011. **** Reprinted in an omnibus book published by Tor Books titled Ecolitan Prime in 2003. ***** Reprinted in an omnibus book published by Tor Books titled The Forever Hero in 1999. ****** Reprinted in an omnibus book published by Tor Books titled Empire and Ecolitan in 2001. ******* Reprinted in 2011 by both Tor Books and Subterranean Press as a 20th anniversary special. ******** Reprinted in an omnibus book published by Tor Books titled Timegod's World in 2000. ********* Reprinted in an omnibus book published by Tor Books titled Ghosts of Columbia in 2005. Links *Official Website *Official Forum References Category:Real World